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I usually cant wait to get up when sleeping in a bed or on the ground. My hammock on the other hand.... Lets just say when in base camp, on a canoe trip, I have missed first light fishing EVERY morning since I started hammock camping!

Oversleeping, or just spending "too much" day light relaxing in the hammock, has happened to me on most every trip since I started using a hammock.

Originally Posted by Pipsissewa

It's not your imagination. You really do sleep better and deeper in a hammock. Read THIS from National Public Radio about a year ago.

<----- Smily sleeping in his hammock

I think it must be different, or deeper, or something, and whatever it is, it's good. Which partly explains the strange obsession many of us seem to develop after that 1st trip with a hammock.

The whole HF thing is a bit odd, don't you think? Imagine a website with thousands of members who are ecstatic about their beds at home, no matter how good the bed is. (maybe there is such a site?) And most of us here tend towards the gear freak type. But really, could any of us post thousands of posts about our backpacks or tents or sleeping pads or tarps, no matter how good we thought our particular equipment was? Which reminds me of a funny scene from, I think it was Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". When after they had been on the trail for many weeks. And they camped near some folks- probably relative newbies - and they get a little panicky when they see them coming over to talk. Because you JUST KNOW ( from the looks of them ) that they are going to want to talk about GEAR! Run away! But we don't seem to get very tired of talking about hammocks, and/or how to keep warm in hammocks!

And I always think back on my 1st week long hike with a hammock. When after a bad start ended up being a sort of "mystical" experience of hammock bliss. I had REAL bad altitude sickness. And when my 1st night sucked big time, and I FROZE my arse off, abandoning the HH for the ground under the stars about maybe 0200. Dog cussed and hated the hammock and HHSS. But gave it a very uneasy 2nd chance, and slept much better and quite warmly, listening to the snores of the others in the distance. That was my 1st taste of that hammock restorative sleep, kind of mystical, but I probably didn't know it yet. 3rd night on the ground again, because I was too sick to get over the pass, and no trees. But the last night of the trip, after some more success in the hammock, was the deal changer. I was starting to feel better. We had hiked all day over many boulders and a tough pass. The wind was howling right off of the lake a few feet away and into the foot end of my HH and tiny tarp. And unknown to me, the 2 tenters I was with were snickering about how I would end up beside them on the ground again, because that wind was going to freeze me for sure. Went to bed not long after supper and sun set. Laid awake for a while listening to the incredible racket and popping like gun shots that the HH tarp was making in that wind. Sometimes making a loud startling pop right in my ear. That was miserable!

Next thing I knew it was maybe 0900+, with the sun up and bright. All my hike mates had been up for quite a while, had breakfast and were packed and were ready to go. If they had not woke me up, I guess I would have slept on for a while, oblivious. And as I dragged out, I knew there was something different about that experience! My friends were major grumps from an uncomfortable night, but I was now a happy camper. I felt great! That nights sleep- despite the incredible racket - was maybe the best I had ever had period- and for sure in the wilderness by a long shot. And from then on something new was added to the anticipation of a hiking trip, something other than just the pleasure of being there and the adventure with widerness loving friends. From that point on I was also looking forward to laying/sleeping in my hammock as another fun part of the trip.

There are reasons we sleep in hammocks at my house and this is one of the top ones. I've never been a big sleeper (outside of my teenage years). I've spent most of my life going on about 5-6 hours a night; just seemed to be my zone. Now, with the same amount of sleeping time, I know what it is like to feel like a human. In a pinch, I can go for a week on 3-4 hours of sleep a night without turning into a raging jerk.

I think it's just a matter of getting into REM sleep quicker. I sleep much deeper in a hammock, which I view as a negative living in the Urban Jungle. I used to be a very light sleeper. A squirrel running across the roof would wake me. Now, Genuine Draft claims to spend a minute trying to wake me up. Half the time, I don't remember her waking me. Not the greatest thing ever for home security, so I suppose I'll be a dog owner the rest of my life as a result. Oh well, it's worth it for the amazing sleep that I missed out on for the first 37 years of life.

Yes, there is a noticeable difference in the type of sleep I get in a hammock. And it hasn't worn off after 5+ years.

I don't really know why, but I fall asleep MUCH faster in a hammock than I do even in my own bed. I regularly have insomnia. But I get in a hammock and within about 10 to 15 minutes I'm out and snoring, and I sleep longer and later.

To Cannibal, scary screen name of course but as of sleeping in hammock, doing that 1 year less than You but also deeper more quality sleep not wore out and if somewhere happen to must sleep in hotel bed, no this sleeping are different animal.
ps I missed 31 years of life on hammock sleeping, who knew this going to happen till it happened

I agree what everyone else says... I sleep more soundly and feel more rested when in a hammock than in a bed... Maybe it is the fact that I'm not hot on the underside which even when I am cold on top is a problem... I just feel better even if I do wake up to adjust something... Heck the other night in 6 hours of sleep I woke up four times(pee, armadillo making noise, adjust blanket, and a car door slamming at another campsite) and I still felt better than 8 hours in my bed...